Folsom, CA — The Harris Center at Folsom Lake College will put its entire 2019-20 Season of Performing Arts on sale to the general public in early July. But the first glance at the season — in the guise of the popular Big Stage Series — was just announced and is on sale today to the general public.

Now in its third season, the Big Stage Series offers everything from Broadway’s most tasteful fare (An American in Paris), to a nod to an American icon and the era she created (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), to an ode to the gods (Once on This Island) and three colorful fellows who can pound out music — and a good laugh—on anything they can lay their hands on (Blue Man Group).

“We knew when we opened the Harris Center, nearly 10 years ago, that its intimacy would make it a unique home for the arts,” noted David Pier, executive director of the Harris Center. “No matter where our patrons are seated, the stage is right there — you don’t just see a play here, you can feel it. And our stage can handle just about anything Broadway can throw at us, and as such it’s a venue uniquely qualified for a series such as Big Stage.”

Series subscribers save at least 20% (and sometimes more) over the cost of single tickets for a five-show package. Subscribers may retain the same seats year after year, and can purchase tickets for any additional show in the 2019-20 season at 10% off.

THE BIG STAGE SERIES AT HARRIS CENTER

(Dates listed are Big Stage Series events only; additional performances will be available as single tickets, going on sale in July. For more information, contact the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888.)

All Big Stage Series performances begin at 7:30 pm.

Blue Man Group

They splatter canvases with paint from their mouths; they play Cap’n Crunch cereal boxes like drums; and they fill their actual drum heads with paint, creating a kaleidoscope of brilliant color with every stroke of the drumstick. Oh, and never mind the bit with the Twinkie. Created in 1988, they are the Blue Man Group and “the appealing peculiarity of these wordless, smooth-skulled creatures remains…a great pulsating night of theater” (New York Times). They have made TV commercials and recordings, written a book and staged a rock music parody tour. And there have been many, many TV appearances, including “Arrested Development,” in which a character’s Blue Man Group obsession begins under the impression that BMG is actually a depressed men’s support group. While they describe themselves as “hard to describe; easy to love,” know their performances at the Harris Center will be a high point of the 2019-20 Season of Performing Arts—not to be missed!

Tuesday, October 9 and Wednesday, October 10, 2019.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

The Tony Award- and Grammy Award-winning musical Beautiful tells inspiring true story of Carole King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. She started as a teenage songwriter and ended up in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Once an abused housewife who didn’t think she belonged on stage, King’s triumphant success with her album Tapestry changed all that. The legendary songs just kept coming: “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Natural Woman,”“One Fine Day,” “Up on the Roof,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and more. Performed on Broadway more than 2,000 times, Beautiful pays heartfelt testament to the soundtrack of an era.

Friday January 24 and Saturday, January 25, 2020.

An American in Paris

The winner of four Tony Awards, including best choreography, this loving tribute to the Oscar winning film finds an American soldier and a mysterious French woman in Paris, looking to begin again after World War II. “This gorgeously danced — and just plain gorgeous — production pays loving tribute to the marriage of music and movement” (New York Times). The unforgettable music of George and Ira Gershwin songs punctuate the production, with “I Got Rhythm,” “Liza,” “'S Wonderful,” “But Not for Me,” “Stairway to Paradise” and orchestral selections including “Concerto in F,” “2nd Prelude,” “2nd Rhapsody,” “The Cuban Overture” and “An American In Paris.”

Thursday, January 30 and Friday, January 31, 2020.

Once on This Island

“What a delight it is to enter the world of ‘Once on This Island’ ” (New York Times). A courageous peasant girl falls for a well-off boy from the opposite side of the island. As social divisions threaten to keep the couple apart, the powerful island gods take the young woman on a remarkable journey of reunification and love. Evoking Haiti after the 2016 hurricane, the simple story comes alive on a dramatically realized stage. Set to a calypso-driven score, this revival of Once on This Island strikes “a balance between child-like story theater and folkloric ritual with a fantastical dash of dangerous voodoo…[creating] a joyful hymn to community and resilience” (Hollywood Reporter).

Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, 2020.

Waitress

Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Hair, Pippin, Finding Neverland) joins a groundbreaking all-female creative team to create "an empowering musical of the highest order!" (Chicago Tribune). Jenna is a waitress and talented pie-maker; she dreams of finding a way up and out of her rocky marriage and small town by pouring her heart into the pies she creates. A baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying encounter with someone new — shows Jenna a chance at a fresh start, but first she must find the courage to seize it. An uplifting musical celebrating friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.

Monday, June 1 and Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

It’s a five-show package; Big Stage Series subscribers can choose from six series price tiers beginning at $170. Premium seats for the five musical Big Stage series is $379. For more information, patrons should call the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from noon to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday or go to the website at https://www.harriscenter.net/bigstage

The 2019-20 Season Marks Nine Seasons of Great Shows. Up Close. In Folsom! The Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College features the work of artists from throughout the region and around the world. Built and operated by the Los Rios Community College District, the $50 million, state-of-the-art regional performing arts center boasts three intimate venues with outstanding acoustics, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a world-class performing arts venue. Each year the Center hosts approximately 400 events attracting upwards of 150,000 annually.